Over the last two decades, the number of online services has increased dramatically. Online services that have emerged include, for example, online commerce services and social networking services. These services open up new experiences for user, including interactions between users and new ways of shopping for goods and services. These services incur a positive network effect as more users sign up and use the service.
A source of inconvenience in the user experience is the provision of information by the user to the online service in order to make full use of the service. The online service asks for a certain amount of information upfront from the user at sign-up, and can subsequently ask for additional information. If the venue asks for too much information too quickly, the user is overwhelmed and becomes less likely to provide the information, less likely to stay with the service, or less likely to sign up for the service in the first place. Another source of inconvenience is the communication interface between the user and the online service. A user can use different modes of communication on any given day. Limiting the user to one mode of communication with the service inconveniences the user and limits the user's interaction with the service. Requesting information from the user without requesting too much too quickly, and providing multiple avenues or modes of communication with users, including avenues that has a conversational feel, make online services more convenient and user-friendly.